Close friends in development...

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin hopes Malaysian media practitioners would use their profession for the good of the nation.
He said this was because the media had great influence on the thinking of the people especially with the current development and sophistication of the media infrastructure and technology.
"If your media can mould the opinion of 100 people, it is already a great achievement, what more if it can influence millions of people each hour and day.
"So, use your profession for the good of our nation and social harmony," he said at the Malaysian Press Night 2010, organised by the Malaysian Press Institute (MPI) and Petronas in Kuala Lumpur tonight.
Muhyiddin said the Malaysian values and identity must be based on the ways the Malaysian media functioned.
Thus, the media should play a role in forming the public perception and how the world perceived Malaysia to be besides minimising hatred, disputes and prejudices.
"Maximise substantiated debates, dialogues and harmony. Minimise arrogant media, insensitivity, inaccuracy, excessive bias and unethical sensationalism.
Help the government to maximise what is good for our country," he said.
Muhyiddin also hoped that the media fraternity would continue to be trustworthy in conveying information to their respective audiences by reporting only actual news and putting aside personal views and not to add 'flavour' merely to make the news more 'juicy'.
He said this was important because he had himself become the 'victim' of circumstances when the report on his statement was misinterpreted to the extent that it had caused confusion.
Besides being the eyes and ears of society in the context of politics and government, he said journalists also had to act as the eyes and ears of the administrators and leaders.
Journalists should also assist the centre of power to understand the public perception on a particular issue, with the primary intention of improving the quality of life of the people, quality of administration and enhance democracy.
"My stand is that there is no democracy without the media. The fact that the media is enjoying such a healthy growth in Malaysia shows the strong democratic values in the country.
"I'm not asking you to praise or favour the government or to hide the truth. I'm just hoping that we -- the government and media -- can become close friends in development to ensure Malaysia's prosperity," he said.
Muhyiddin said that as far as the government was concerned, journalists and the media were their partners in national development.
"The government needs the media to enable its messages, political and socio-economic programmes to be accepted effectively by the public and successfully implemented for the sake of the country's development," he said.
However, the cordial relationship between the government and the media should not erode the credibility of either party.
(Bernama)